The Cincinnati Bengals are approaching a pivotal point in their season. They’re 5-4 overall emerging out of their bye week. Heading into a second half facing current contenders that could make or break their season.

While there’s a clear line so far between the contenders and pretenders in the National Football Conference. The Bengals are in a long line of contenders in the American Football Conference. Including the Las Vegas Raiders, whom the Bengals will face this Sunday at 4:05 PM on CBS. The Bengals and Raiders are in similar spots record wise going into Sunday. Both are ranked third in their respective divisions with 5-4 records.

The Raiders are managing to stay above water despite chaos off of the field. They face a challenging second half partly due to the resurgent Kansas City Chiefs. Half of Cincinnati’s remaining regular season opponents are in the Raiders’ AFC West. Meanwhile, no one’s out of the race in the Bengals’ AFC North. The Baltimore Ravens lead the division with a 6-3 record. While they’re leading, the team hasn’t shown the electric energy they’ve shown in recent years.

The Pittsburgh Steelers are in second place with a 5-3-1 record. Pittsburgh has been surging back into contention after a rough start. Though they aren’t striking the same kind of ferociousness they did late in the 2010’s. The Steelers only managed to tie the win-less Detroit Lions team last week. Cincinnati beat both Detroit handily and a Steelers team that was in much better shape than they were last week.

Meanwhile, the Cleveland Browns are in a familiar spot. Being in last place in the division, though with a 5-5 record. Coming out of two rather different results. Routing the Bengals in Cincinnati on November 7th. Then losing in a rout on the road against the New England Patriots.

The Bengals are halfway through their divisional schedule. Winning two out of their first three divisional games so far. Along with their division rivals, all but one of their remaining regular season opponents currently have .500 or better records. The lone team currently with a losing record is the 4-5 San Francisco 49ers. The Bengals lone NFC opponent left on their schedule. With a 14 team playoff field, the Bengals are in a good position to remain contenders deep into December. Quite a feat for a team that hasn’t had a winning season since 2015.

So far, the Bengals are exceeding many expectations. Roaring off to a winning record just over halfway through their regular season. After starting off the Zac Taylor era with six wins in his first 32 games as head coach. The Bengals have some concerning issues despite their good start. The offensive line’s struggles to protect quarterback Joe Burrow is one of the biggest issues.

Going into Week 11, Burrow has been sacked 25 times. Another concern surrounding Burrow is his 11 interceptions. He’s tied with Carolina Panthers quarterback Sam Darnold for the league lead in interceptions. Poor play calling by Zac Taylor and his staff likely cost them their game against the New York Jets. Consistency is an issue for rookie wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase. He can rack up catches, yards and touchdowns one week. Then drop several passes in another week.

Despite those hiccups, the Bengals are showing improvements. They have a more aggressive offense compared to recent years. Their defense has been mostly effective throughout this season. Linebacker Logan Wilson is having a good season so far. He has a team-leading 78 tackles and four interceptions. Trey Hendrickson is having a good season too with a team-leading 8.5 sacks. Boosting the Bengals into the middle of the pack defensively; after years near or at the bottom statistically.

On special teams, kicker Evan McPherson has managed to get the Bengals out of jams with big field goals. On offense, Semaje Perine is emerging as an effective rushing option. Giving the team room to not be overdependent on his fellow running back Joe Mixon. Speaking of Mixon, he’s having a good season with a team-leading nine total touchdowns. Tight end C.J. Uzomah is another effective play-maker so far this season. He has five touchdown receptions this season. Trailing behind Ja’Marr Chase’s seven for the team lead in receiving TD’s.

These play-makers will be crucial in the Bengals’ playoff push. They’ve put the Bengals in a position where their future looks bright for a change.